Try Three For Free this Saturday, May 23rd – 2 to 5 p.m. – Chardonnay Three Ways – Chardonnay is known as the “winemaker’s grape” because it can be shaped and crafted into a wide variety of styles of wine. From the lean, tart, and unoaked versions all the way up to the super rich, creamy, and toasty types, this is a grape and a wine that can never be generalized. Join us as we’ll pour you both of these styles as well as one that is sort of right in the middle — it’s a don’t miss tasting for all of the Asheville Chardonnay lovers out there. Stop by, taste, learn, and save up to 20% on all of our tasting wines every Saturday at Table Wine.
We love all of the wines this week, but #3 is a little extra special. Rated 93 points by Wine Enthusiast and #15 on their Top 100 Wines of 2014, it’s a super rich, complex Chardonnay that should appeal to the Rombauer lovers out there……..but it costs a lot less! In addition, we’ll pour you a perennial Parker favorite Chardonnay from the southern part of France and a perfectly balanced, lightly oaked Russian River beauty.
The Wines
1. 2014 Domaine Lafage “Novellum” Chardonnay (Roussillon, France): Jean-Marc Lafage just doesn’t make bad wine, and this is year in and year out one of his best values. The 2013 scored 92 points with The Wine Advocate, and we’d say this one is probably going to earn similar marks. Aged for a bit in neutral Burgundy barrels on the lees of a Viognier, it is exotic, beautifully balanced, pure, and simply too easy to drink.
2. 2013 L’Oliveto Chardonnay (Russian River Valley, California): From our friends at The Brack Mountain Wine Company, this is that perfect “in betweener” style of Chardonnay. Moderately rich, but bright and fresh at the same time, it’s like a California version of Pouilly Fuissé. Although fermented entirely in French oak, only 33% of the barrels are new — thus, the oak doesn’t dominate the fresh fruit profile. Instead, you get a nicely balanced, moderately rich, but fresh style of Chardonnay. Great at the table with roasted or grilled chicken, it also works well as an aperitif.
3. 2012 Mount Eden Vineyards Chardonnay “Wolff Vineyard” (Edna Valley, California): Mount Eden is responsible for some of California’s greatest Chardonnays, and they’ve definitely knocked it out of the park with this one. From one of the oldest and latest ripening vineyards in Edna Valley, this is all barrel fermented and undergoes 100% malolactic fermentation. The resulting wine is golden in color, creamy in texture, and loaded with buttered, spiced apple, tropical fruits, and citrus oils. 93 points Wine Enthusiast